Scottish club, Raith Rovers have regretted that the club signed David Goodwillie who was ruled a rapist in a 2017 civil case. The club had to announce that they made a mistake to sign the 32-year-old Scottish footballer after a series of agitations from fans and critics online and mainstream media.
In 2017, David Goodwillie and another Scottish footballer, David Robertson were said to be involved in a rape civil case. They received a ruling for it in Scotland and the decision was upheld on appeal.
Even though David Goodwillie received two convictions for assault, his rape case did not go on trial, hence, he was not convicted for rape because there was not enough evidence.
He briefly stayed out of football between January 25, 2017, and March 17, 2017, before he joined Doune Castle and then moved to Clyde FC on March 31, 2017, where he has been playing for over five years.
On January 31, 2022, Raith Rovers decided to sign him from Clyde FC. The Scottish club gave him a two years deal which would have kept him at the club until May 31, 2024.
The deal which was signed during the period Manchester United forward, Mason Greenwood was accused of rape and assault, invoked backlash against the club.
Amid the backlash, Raith Rovers released a statement on Tuesday to stress that they would stand by David Goodwillie because they bought the 32-year-old striker for his goalscoring ability.
The statement infuriated the directors of the club, the captain of its women’s team, the employability officer for the club’s community foundation, and shirt sponsor, Val McDermid. In protest against the signing, the aforementioned groups dissociated themselves from the club.
The women’s team went as far as reprinting their jerseys without the club’s crest and put in an application to end their partnership with the men’s team.
When the issue was going out of control, Raith Rovers released a statement on Thursday to admit that they regretted that they signed David Goodwillie.
“I firstly want to apologize wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players, and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days. We got it wrong,” the club’s chairman John Sim said in a statement.
“In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole.
“Over the past couple of days, we listened carefully to the fans who have got in touch and I’m very grateful for their honesty. As chairman, as a board, and as a management team, we have all learned a hard but valuable lesson.
“This very unfortunate episode is something that we all bitterly regret and we are now wholly committed to making things right. I can therefore confirm that, following a meeting of the Raith Rovers board, the player will not be selected by Raith Rovers and we will enter into discussions with the player regarding his contractual position.
“We share a desire to do what is best for our club and will be doing everything in our power to regain the trust and confidence of the Raith Rovers family.”
CLUB STATEMENT | Raith Rovers have released the following statement regarding David Goodwillie, to confirm that the player will not represent the club.
— RRFC Official (@RaithRovers) February 3, 2022
Discussions are underway with the player regarding his contractual position:https://t.co/JD5HW4Q30c pic.twitter.com/efOc51Bc9p
While the club’s major sponsor, Val McDermid described the club’s decision to reverse their decision to sign Goodwillie as a victory.
“It’s a victory of sorts for the hundreds of people who MAKE the club who were appalled at the board’s original decision and who were not afraid to speak out,” McDermid said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“But it’s the first step on a long road back. The same people who made the decision are still in charge. Those who love and value the club are still on the outside; they need to be on the inside, shaping the future for the community.”
